Improvement in smut-mills



2 Sheets-Sheet 2. 1. RUSSELL.

Smut Miil.

No. 44,825. Y Patented Oct. 25. 1864.

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r UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN RUSSELL, OF CUMBERLAND, MARYLAND.

IMPROVEMENT lN SM UT-MlLLS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 114,825, dated October 25, 1864.

To all whom t may concern:

Beit known that I, JOHN RUSSELL, of Cumberland, in the county of Alleghany and State of Maryland, have invented a new and Improved Smut-Machine for Cleaning Viheat; and l do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanyin g drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure lis a front elevation of my machine; Fig. 2, a vertical central section of the same in the direction of the line m x in Fig. 3 Fig. 3, a vertical section in the line y y of Fig. l; Fig. 4, a crosssectionin theline zz of Fig. 2; Fig. 5, a detached, view in section, of one form of my improved scourers or rubbers 5 and Fig. 6, a detached view of a modified form of beater.

Similar letters, where they occur in the several figures, denote corresponding parts of the machine.

The construction of my machine is as follows: Four upright corner-posts, A A A A, are combined with suitable cross-timbers, B B B B C C D D E E, in such a manner as to form a stout frame for the support of the machinery necessary to the accomplishment of the object of my invention.

A vertical shaft, F, passes through the center of my machine, and to this are secured the fan G, the concave radially corrugai ed or ribbed rubbers H H, and the hemispherical toothed beater I. The lower end of the shaft F is received into an adjustable step, and it is steadied near its upper end by a suitable collar, K, which is supported by means of radial arms L L, extending to the tops of the upright posts A A A A, all as shown in Fig. 2.

A platform, M, rests upon the crossbeams l) D, and from this platform rises a sheetmetal cylinder, N, which is of such height as that its upper edge is in contact with and the whole steadied by the radial arms L L. An inner cylinder, O, of sheet metal, which is of snfcient diameter to surround the concave rubbers El H, also rests upon this platform M, and is in height equal to about one-half the height of the cylinder N. This inner cylinder, O, is perforated, as is also the upper portion of the cylinder N. Two inverted hollow truncated cones, h lz, which are ribbed on their under surfaces, are secured to the cylinder O in such positions that their ribbed faces are in close proximity to th ose of the concave rubbers H H. Perforations b b, Figs. 2 and 4, are made in the platform M. Below the platform M a second one, P, is secured, which is provided with a large circular aperture in the center, and the space between the two is planked up, as shown in Fig. l. To the under side of the platform P is secured the fanbox Q, which is provided with an opening for the discharge of the smut and other refuse matter which is separated from the grain. A domeshaped cap, R, covers the hemispherical beater I, which cap is open at the top and communicates with the suctionpipe S, as shown in Fig. 2. This cap It rests upon a circular support, T, which is in turn supported by the radial arms L L, Figs. 1 and 2. To the side of the.

suction-spout T is secured the hopper Z,

thrmgh which the grain is introducedinto the machine.

U and V, Fig. 3, are pipes, the uscs of which will be hereinafter explained, and W and X are gates to regulate the flow of air through the machine.

Having described the construction of my machine, I will now set forth its operation.

A revolving motion is first imparted to the shaft F by means of a belt and pulley or in any other suitable manner. The shaft carries with it the fan G, the rubbers H H, and the toothed beater I. The fan expels the air from the fan-box through the opening Y, which causes the outer air to rush through the perforations in the cylinder N and through the open end of the suction-pipe U, and thereby establishes the necessary currents of air through the machine. The grain is now introduced through the hopper Z and falls upon the toothed beater I, which, being in rapid motion, tosses the kernels of grain against the inner face of the cap R, which may with advantage be ribbed. This action of the beater has the eect of loosening all particles of smut and dust from the grain, which refuse matter is carried off by the constant current of air which'enters the machine through the perforations in the cylinder N, and passes upward over the face ofthe beater around through the suction-spout S, into the fan-box Q, and out through the opening Y, all as indicated in the drawings by the series of arrows marked l, and most clearly represented in Fig. 2. This current of air sweeping over the face of the hemispherical beater prevents the smut from clin ging thereto, as it does to the flat disks which have heretofore been used in this connection. While the smut, &c., is carried oli", as above described, the grain passes on, to be submitted to the rubbing process. It falls upon the upper and smooth surface of the hollow truncated conical rubber h, down which it is conducted to the opening in the center thereof, through which it falls upon the concave ribbed rubber H, which, being in rapid revolution, carries the grain by centrifugal force over its surface, (rubbing it thoroughlyT against the under ribbed surface of the upper rubber, h,) until it passes over the edge to be operated upon in a similar manner by the lower series of rubbers. Thetendency of the air afterrushing through the perforations in the cylinder N is to reach the fan-box as directly as possible,

and while one currentis carried thereto by the l suction-spout S, as above described, another current passes downward, and bein gprevented from passing directly into the space between the cylinders N and by the fiatring a, which closes the top of this space, it necessarily passes along with the grain into the spaces between the convex and concave rubbers, from whence it escapes through the perforations in the cylinder 0 and downward' through the apertures b b in the platform M into the fanbox, and escapes through the opening Y, carrying with it the outer and useless coating of the grain, together with what other refuse matter has been removed therefrom by the action of the rubbers. The course of this current of air is indicated in the drawings, Fig. 2, by the series of arrows marked 2. 'lhe grain, after having been thus thoroughl y beaten and scoured, passes through an opening, c, in the platform M onto the inclined conductor d, (all shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2,) by which it is carried into the suctionpipe U, whence it is discharged from the machine. At the moment ot' its discharge, however, it is submitted to the cleansing action of a third current of air, which thoroughly separates from it and carries oft' any improper matter that may possibly have passed through the other stages of the process. It will be observed that the suction-pipe U, Fig. 3, communicates at the top with the parallel pipe V, which in turn communicates through the opening t' with the fan-box Q, and hence, when the fan is in motion, a current of air sets up the pipe U, down the pipe V, and into the fanbox Q. It is to the action of this current that the grain is finally submitted, and in the drawings,Fig. 3, its course is indicated by the series of arrows marked 3.

At the foot of the suctionspout S a small opening, f, is made, and a similar opening. g, is made at the foot ofthe tube V. (See Figs. 2 and 3.) These are for the purpose of permitting the discharge from the machine of light kernels of grain and vsuch other substances as are of such a weight that they would otherwise lodge at these points, instead of passing off through the regular channel. The rubbers H H being rigidly secured to Vthe shaft F, it will be seen that they may be readily adjusted to increase or diminish the friction upon the grain at will by means of an arrangement of set-screws, such as is clearly shown in Fig. 2.

I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the use of the hemispherical toothed beater-such as is shown in Fig. 2--but contemplate, if deemed advisable, the employment of a conical beater, Fig. 6, which will also be provided with teeth.

I am aware that ilat disks studded with pins, and also corrugated conical rubbers, have heretofore been used in connection with artificially-created blasts or currents of air for the purpose of cleaning grain, and hence I do not broadly claim either of these features as of my invention 5 but,

Having thus .fully described my invention, what I claim therein as new, and desire to sccure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination of the conical or hemispherical toothed beater I,the corrugated rubbers H h H h, the short internal perforated cylinders, O, and the long external perforated casing-cylinder, N, with the fan G and suction-pipe S, when the top of the annular space between the internal and external cylinders is closed by the at ring a, or by any other suitable device, and the perforations in the casingcylinder are all formedat points above the said iiat ring a, all for the purpose of directing and controlling the passage of the artificially-created currents of air through the machine, in the manner herein set forth.

The foregoing specication of my improvements in smut-machines signed by me this 19th day of March, A. D. 1864.

JOHN RUSSELL.

In presence of- J oHN H. GEPHART, ANDREW GONDER. 

